


Tales of the Wombat: A Realm Reborn

by Wombat (Superwombat6)



Series: Tales of the Wombat (FF14 fics) [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, if you ever notice any errors re: the world or canon scenes it's probably because Research Is Hard, ok it's mostly thancred but the other scions do show up, plot spoilers for realm reborn through to just pre-heavensward, there'll probably be more here some day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27393238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superwombat6/pseuds/Wombat
Summary: Taking the moniker of "Wombat Figaro" sounded like a good idea at the time, even when Mother Miounne chided her for it. Still, a memorable name was good for an adventurer, right?...Of course, this was before she learned that fate had much larger things planned for her.A compilation of one-shots and short stories from my time playing FF14.
Relationships: Warrior of Light/Thancred Waters
Series: Tales of the Wombat (FF14 fics) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2001160
Kudos: 4





	1. Trial by Fire

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't write very much when first playing through ARR; my WoL didn't really have a personality of her own yet. Going back after the fact, I've started to fill in the blanks on my cheerful, aggressively purple Miqo'te bard.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It didn't take long for Wombat's aimless adventuring to weave itself into the greater problems plaguing the realm. Finding herself in a wholly new and unfamiliar role, she must ready herself for challenges greater than ever before.
> 
> One such challenge being a certain infuriatingly dashing Hyur.

Somehow, the Waking Sands was warm and welcoming despite the stone interior. The young adventurer looked around as she followed the Lalafellin woman, trying to take it all in. There were a lot of people here, more than she’d expected from such an oddly secretive group. They smiled as she passed, unfamiliar though she was.

They passed through a second set of doors at the end of the hall, and Wombat was relieved to see a pair of familiar faces inside, standing out from a small crowd. Yda waved enthusiastically, and Papalymo grinned at her and nodded in greeting.

Beside them, there was a tall, robed figure, distinguished as an Elezen only by the shape of the long ears under his hood. If he noted her entrance, she’d never be able to tell; his eyes were shielded by opaque goggles, and he made no move to acknowledge her. On the other side of the room Wombat saw a fellow Miqo’te, though her snow white fur stood in contrast to Wombat’s vibrant purple. As the woman glanced her way, Wombat also noted the slitted eyes of a Sun Seeker Miqo’te, unlike her own Moon Keeper origins. Her smile was warm and welcoming, and Wombat found herself returning it.

The other two people in the room were both Hyur; the first was a woman behind the large desk at the far end of the room, smiling and radiating warmth and hospitality. The other stood beside the Miqo’te, a man with slightly messy silver hair and a face so perfect it looked like it was sculpted from marble. Wombat blinked, realizing she’d begun staring, and that he was favoring her with a knowing smirk. She quickly tore her eyes away, instead focusing on the woman in the center, clearly the leader. She could still feel the Hyuran man’s eyes on her, but carefully ignored him as the Scions of the Seventh Dawn launched into introductions.

\---

The Hyuran man’s name was Thancred, as it turned out, and to Wombat’s deep regret he did not let the matter of her staring at him drop. No, in fact, he went full tilt in the _opposite_ direction, being as insufferable as possible, flirting with her at every damned opportunity.

Attention from an _admittedly attractive_ man was not necessarily a bad thing, but it was embarrassing and distracting, and she did _not_ need to be distracted right now. This was her first mission as a Scion, and it just _had_ to be alongside this _insufferable flirt_.

It certainly didn’t help that she’d noticed his habit of offering much the same treatment to almost _every_ woman he met.

She sighed and finished changing. The drab, threadbare clothes fit her ill, but that was largely the point. They were to pose as refugees newly come to Camp Drybone, thus luring out the predatory element lurking in the settlement.

Wombat gave the shirt one final tug and tucked her bow away in a less conspicuous manner before heading back out to meet with Thancred. He wasn’t by the town well this time, but she soon spotted him in the shade of the town’s exit tunnel, motioning her over.

She trotted across the sandy ground, ducking behind the wall to join the other Scion. “Alright. What’s next?”

There was no immediate response, and she shot him a disgusted look. “Really, are you still--”

She cut herself off as she saw that he wasn’t leering at her this time, but rather regarding her with a serious expression. “Hm. No, not quite.”

Wombat blinked. “ _What’s_ not quite _what?_ ”

Instead of answering, Thancred bent down and scooped up a handful of dirt from near the tunnel wall. He considered it in his hand for a moment, then dumped the whole lot of it over Wombat’s head.

“Wha-- _hey!_ You--”

“If you want people to think you’re a peasant, my dear, you ought to look the part,” he explained, cheerfully unperturbed by her outburst. “The clothes simply aren’t enough when your hair and skin are all shiny and clean.”

“Ugh,” she grumbled. She stopped trying to swipe the dirt out of her hair, though her twitching tail betrayed her residual annoyance. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

She held impatiently still as he proceeded to carefully wipe dirt across her face, just enough to complete the look.

“Alright, alright, don’t you think that’s good enough? If you tell me you’re just taking the excuse to touch my face I’m gonna punch you in _yours_.”

“Perish the thought!” Thancred feigned hurt. “...You’re right, though. That ought to do.”

“Good.” With alacrity honed by a lifetime of archery, Wombat scooped up her own handful of dirt and dumped it on Thancred’s perfect hair. “Your turn.”

His indignant squawk made it all worth it, especially when he grudgingly admitted that she was right. She took distinct pleasure in his disgruntled expression as she ruffled his hair to work the dirt in.

“Perfect! Now you look more like the scruffy rogue you’re always trying to be!” She stepped back to admire her handiwork.

“And you look like an alley cat that lost a fight with a spriggan,” he shot back. His customary smirk returned. “Now then, let’s see if there’s any work to be had for a pair of poor, unfortunate refugees.”

\---

Everything went according to plan, right up until it didn’t. The merchant fell for their trap, the ambush went off… but there was a second traitor, among the soldiers. Too many Amalj'aa. Too many allies falling. Wombat didn’t have time to wonder where Thancred had gotten off to, busy as she was fighting for her life.

And then a beastman thaumaturge's Sleep spell hit her, and it all went from bad to worse.

\---

Wombat knew about primals. They featured in the stories her mother told her, and of course the Scions brought them up as well. But knowing and _seeing_ were two different things.

She wasn't sure what happened. Ifrit's flames washed harmlessly over her, while the pair of traitors who had been groveling and cowering moments before now seemed… well, "happy" was the wrong word, but they no longer appeared distressed. Certainly not burnt, as she'd expected.

But now the great, flaming beast looked worried, and the Amalj'aa were fleeing. He said she was "claimed by another." What did he mean by that?

No matter. No time to think on it. Wombat readied her bow, not bothering to wonder why she hadn't been disarmed, and faced the primal.

\---

No… she couldn't die here! There had to be some way--!

By the time she'd realized why there was so much aether concentrated in that spike, it was too late; Wombat watched the explosion approach, too scared to move. She closed her eyes.

The pain never hit.

She blinked, opened her eyes. The fire was gone, the arena just as it had been when the fight started. No, rather… the fight had _never_ _started_. Another vision…?

Regardless, something told her it was to be trusted. She gripped her bow, now knowing that that spike would need to be destroyed. She'd have to ask Minfilia about this later, if she survived.

\---

Ifrit collapsed, the fires fading around him as he dispersed into aether. Wombat dropped to her knees, trembling from exertion and heat exhaustion.

She'd done the impossible.

She killed a primal.

A glint caught her eye, the glow of a small red crystal. She reached for it, and was again overwhelmed by a vision.

She knew not what all of this meant, but when she returned to reality, a headache joined her other ills. She dropped to all fours, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her ears still rang from all the explosions, and she barely registered the sound of footsteps until they were mere yalms away.

She looked up, and froze. An enraged Amalj'aa was charging her, intent on avenging his deity. She weakly grasped at her bow, but hadn't the strength left to lift it. Such irony, to be killed by an ordinary foe after felling a god.

Then there was a pair of soft _thunks_ , and the Amalj'aa staggered and collapsed. His head landed mere ilms from Wombat, revealing the throwing knives lodged firmly in his skull.

A louder _thud_ a short way in front of her announced Thancred's arrival, landing gracefully from his acrobatic maneuver.

"Pray forgive my lateness," he said urgently, rushing to kneel at her side. He smiled at her, gently helping her sit up. "I was delayed by a congregation of Amalj'aa zealots. I swear, each seemed more evangelical than the last."

Wombat couldn't help but laugh breathlessly at that. "Th-thank you," she said.

He patted her back. "I feel I owe you an apology, Wombat."

She shook her head. "What for? You just… just saved my life."

Thancred frowned, his gaze drifting over past the dead Amalj'aa. "...Had I known this mission would prove so dangerous, I would never have left you to face it alone."

"...I'm fine, Thancred. Really. I can handle myself, you know."

The irony of her saying this while sitting on the ground because her legs couldn't support her was not lost on her. Nor on Thancred, apparently, as he turned to fix her with an incredulous stare.

That's when inspiration struck, and Wombat had to suppress a giggle despite the circumstances. "...I suppose you could call this experience…"

Thancred's expression shifted, realization hitting him a moment too late to stop her.

"...a baptism by fire?"

For a few seconds, they just stared at one another. Too exhausted to stop herself, Wombat was the first to lose her composure, falling into a helpless laughing fit. A second later Thancred shook his head and joined her, ruffling her hair.

"Well, your sense of humor may be beyond recovery, but I expect you'll be fine _physically_ at least, after a little rest."

Wombat finally managed to stop laughing, and let Thancred sling her arm over his shoulders to help her up. She told herself that the way her face flushed was just the result of the overbearing heat. Absolutely not anything else.

Fortunately, Thancred either didn't notice or chose not to comment. "Right. We can leave the recovery of the captives to the Flames; let's get you back to Camp Drybone. We can speak further once we're in more agreeable environs."

"Yeah," Wombat agreed absently. She was honestly still working on believing that she'd survived the whole ordeal. There would be a lot to think about later, that much was certain. For now, though… maybe she ought to give Thancred the benefit of the doubt. An insufferable flirt he most certainly was, but he'd also proven himself to be quite dependable. Yes, she decided; she could tolerate a bit of annoyance for the sake of a new friend.


	2. Exhaustion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Combating primals and the Empire both is an unbelievably draining task, and all of the Scions are feeling the strain. Not all of them are handling it well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one might go through an overhaul one of these days, but for now it's darn cute fluff and there's nothing wrong with darn cute fluff!

Pushing open the doors to the Waking Sands, the fledgling Warrior of Light found herself feeling quite ragged. Then again, looking around, she had to conclude that she was far from the only one feeling run down these days. There was much to do, and only so many Scions to do it.

A shock of silver hair caught her eye as she walked down the hall. Her ears perked up as she recognized Thancred. It seemed he hadn’t noticed her entrance, having made no move to rise or even look up from his perch on one of the stools that lined the hall. His arms rested on his thighs and he was slumped forward, looking like he might fall asleep at any moment.

Wombat’s pace slowed, and she tilted her head at him. She knew he was on some special assignment or other, but…

“Thancred? Hey, you in there?”

“Hmm,” he mumbled noncommittally. He finally looked up, his smile playful despite his clear exhaustion. “Naturally. Who else could be so  _ effortlessly  _ dashing?”

Well, at least he was  _ certainly _ still acting himself. “Of course, how silly of me,” she shot back. “Do you, uh… need to go grab a bed? You  _ are _ allowed to sleep, you know.”

He blinked, and glanced away. “Is it that obvious?” he mumbled. Shaking his head, he refocused on her. “Pray do not concern yourself with my welfare,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “My current investigation has yielded some curious results, and at present I am pondering how best to proceed.”

Wombat frowned, one ear flicking back in worry. “Don’t you think you’d be better suited to ponder with a rested mind?”

“I would fain get this whole situation dealt with and sleep more soundly when I’m done.” He returned to staring at the ground, scowling.

“Thancred.” Wombat crossed her arms, shaking her head disapprovingly. “Hmm. No, I don’t think I’m letting this one stand.”

Thancred looked up once more, fixing her with a quizzical look. “Oh? And what  _ ever _ do you intend to do about it?”

She reached for one of his arms and tried to pull him from his stool. He smirked and shifted his weight in a way that made him simply impossible to budge. Wombat huffed and gave up after just a few moments.

“Pray see to your own problems,” he said, looking amused as he watched her catch her breath. “I can take care of myself.”

“Hmm.” Not sounding convinced, Wombat sulked off toward the main hall.

\---

The halls of the Waking Sands remained silent for a couple of bells, everyone within quietly going about their business. Thancred continued to ponder his rather thorny situation, though he found himself growing easily distracted by wandering thoughts. Maybe Wombat was right...

“ _ Oi! Thancred!” _

And then, rather abruptly, the silence was broken. Thancred lifted his head, alarmed, as Yda rounded the corner with a determined stride. Not far behind her was a rather smug-looking Wombat, and around the corner Y’shtola and Papalymo could be seen peeking into the hallway with amusement and concern, respectively. Closer to the solar, Urianger looked on, his expression unreadable as ever. Thancred had a sinking feeling about this.

“...What is it?” he asked cautiously.

“I happened to mention my concerns to some of the other Scions,” said Wombat innocently. “Yda was very keen to help!”

Uh oh.

“If you get yourself hurt ‘cause you were forgetting to sleep again, it won’t be on my account!” Yda declared as she approached.

“Wait--”

Before he could protest further, she intercepted his attempt to scramble from the stool and away from her with the alarming swiftness of a close-quarters fighter. She hefted him over her shoulder with ease and began marching back down the hall. His indignant shouts fell on deaf ears.

“Thou mayest find sleeping quarters down yonder hall,” said Urianger, the barest hint of an amused smile breaking through his stoic expression as he gestured.

“Thanks!” chirped Wombat. She followed behind Yda and her reluctant charge, looking rather pleased with herself. From his position, Thancred could clearly see Y’shtola grinning with delight and Papalymo quietly burying his face in one hand. He even saw Minfilia poke her head around the corner with a quizzical look just before the doors swung shut.

Once it was just them in the hall, he also noticed how Wombat’s grin quickly fell away, leaving a concerned frown. Resigned to his fate by this point, he decided to shift his attention to her. “And what has our young hero looking so dour?”

She shook her head. “Worry.”

“Worry? About what?”

“You,” she said quickly, hardly even seeming to notice she’d said it. She blinked and quickly continued speaking, as though she could bury the slip under more words. “The realm. I mean… for every problem I solve, two more seem to crop up. And while the city-states speak of unity, they’re too focused on their own problems to really act on it.”

“Ah.” Thancred nodded sagely, a gesture that was hilariously undermined by the fact that he was still being carried like a sack of popotoes. “Welcome to what we’ve been dealing with since before the Calamity,” he said sourly. “Fear not. Eorzea  _ will _ come together when the need arises. In the meantime, keep focused on your tasks and you’ll make life better for the people one step at a time.”

A tiny smile broke through Wombat’s gloom. “...Right.”

“We’ll start by focusing on our friend taking proper care of himself!” declared Yda, kicking open the door of a vacant bedroom with somewhat more force than was necessary. “Alright, you, I better not see you up and about again until you’ve had at  _ least _ a few bells’ proper sleep!”

“And that  _ doesn’t _ mean you can get away with it if she doesn’t  _ see _ you,” Wombat added quickly. Judging by his expression, she’d hit the nail on the head. “Come on now. Surely your task can wait at  _ least _ this long?”

Yda deposited Thancred ungracefully on the bed, leaving him to grumpily readjust and smooth his hair. He shifted to sit on the edge, though Yda positioned herself to prevent him from going further, and Wombat plopped herself down next to him. He looked between the two women for a moment, then let out a resigned sigh.

“Very well. It seems I’ve no means to worm my way out of this…” He shrugged and slipped his aetherometer off his arm, deciding to at least be a little more comfortable.

“Correct,” said Wombat, crossing her arms. “Aside from anything else, what you’re doing sounds dangerous, and if you’re not rested you could make mistakes.”

Thancred looked ready to argue, but Wombat put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s no point in protecting the realm if you can’t enjoy the fruits of your victory at the end. Maybe there is a place for self-sacrifice, but it’s not here.”

The room fell silent, with Yda just nodding her fervent agreement and Thancred quietly processing the short speech. Wombat let her hand drop from his arm and stood up, turning to face him again. “Just take care of yourself, okay? Gods know why, but I’ve grown rather fond of you.”

That drew a laugh out of him. “Very well, you do make a rather convincing argument. I’ll do my best to forget the horrors threatening the realm for a few bells, at least.”

The women grinned and high-fived each other. Yda waved cheerily and left the room, and Wombat made to follow. As she reached the door, though, she heard Thancred chuckle quietly and speak.

“Well… it seems I’m rather too charming for my own good.”

She smiled and shook her head, glancing back toward him. “It’s the opposite, silly-- it seems you’ve charmed us into caring more for your own good than  _ you _ do.” She turned back toward the door, reaching for the handle. “Have a good rest, my friend.”

“I’ll endeavor to do just that.”

He waited until the door had closed behind her before he let himself drop back against the pillows. He could definitely feel the exhaustion creeping in, and encroaching sleep along with it. It was odd, really; he’d been unwilling to allow himself to rest, too determined to prove to himself his usefulness… only for permission to not only be granted but  _ enforced _ by the other Scions.

It was nice to know they cared. Even so… the sleep he drifted off into was a troubled one, plagued by his myriad worries. His investigation was unearthing some rather dark truths… he only hoped he could learn what he sought before it was too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was Worried about Thancred through pretty much the entire ARR experience.
> 
> With reason, it turns out! Anyway, sleep is important and so is Yda.


	3. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is falling apart.
> 
> The Warrior of Light has been branded a criminal, the Scions of the Seventh Dawn scattered.
> 
> If there's a time to confront unspoken feelings, it's now or never.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She's a Bard... she can't help but choose the most dramatic moments to do the most dramatic things possible!

“Well, if I have to run for my life, I’m glad I get to do it alongside a cute guy,” Wombat joked nervously. Covering her mind-numbing terror with humor; sounded about right.

“Why, I was about to say just the same thing, except regarding a lovely lady,” Thancred shot back. She could hear the nerves in his voice, though he hid it well. She was willing to bet he was as grateful for the diversion as she was.

“Is now truly the best time, you two?” Y’shtola grunted.

“Are you implying that there’s ever a  _ bad _ time to admire your surroundings?”

Wombat shook her head. “Sorry, ‘Shtola… I’m just… trying to keep it together.”

She felt Minfilia’s hand gently brush her arm, a show of sympathy. Wombat gave her a little smile of appreciation, but otherwise didn’t reply.

The tunnel fell silent for a time, echoing only the footsteps of the four exhausted Scions. Without anything to distract herself, Wombat’s thoughts drifted back to Yda and Papalymo, as she knew they would. And the others… Gods, how could this possibly turn out okay?

When sounds from back the way they came broke into her thoughts, she was unsure whether to be grateful or not. The Scions stopped running as one, exchanging worried glances at the sounds of approaching soldiers.

The bard could easily guess where this was going. She was a  _ bard _ after all; she  _ knew _ how these things went. Sure enough, Y’shtola and Thancred stepped forward, toward the sounds.

“ _ Don’t-- _ ” Wombat reached out toward them.

“Go,” Y’shtola said firmly. “We’ll hold them here.”

Gods, she’d already lost too many friends today. She made no move to leave, and she could feel Minfilia hesitating similarly beside her.

Thancred turned back toward them, looking resigned. His eyes locked on Wombat. “ _ Go. _ You’re the Warrior of Light, for gods’ sake. The realm  _ needs  _ you.” He turned away, back toward the encroaching enemies. “Far more than it needs someone like me, at any rate.”

Wombat felt her face heat up at his words. More than anything, she hated when he put himself down. She strode forward, scowling.

Hearing her footsteps approaching, Thancred spared a glance back toward her. “What are you doing? Get out of here alrea--”

He didn’t get to finish. Wombat grabbed his shoulder, spun him to face her, and shut him the hell up with a hard, angry kiss. He froze, far too surprised to reciprocate. She couldn’t find the words to express to him her frustration, so she spoke through her kiss. Her anguish at the events of the night, her guilt at having fallen for the trap, having to leave her friends behind… her anger at him, how he always viewed himself as less than the other Scions. He  _ wasn’t. _

She finally pulled away, glaring despite the tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes. Still stunned, Thancred stared back with wide eyes.

Finally, Wombat spoke, her voice hoarse with emotion. “You’d better make it out.”

Thancred swallowed, blinked, and slowly smiled. “Yes,  _ ma’am _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Amusingly, this was the first fic I ever wrote for FF14. This would go some way in explaining why the characterization is a little more stiff than in my other work, but I'm still fond of it.
> 
> I'd been wavering back and forth for some time on whether I wanted my WoL to actually be in a relationship with Thancred, but this scene just kind of sealed it for me.


End file.
